events

The Voice – Top Down

Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th September, 3pm – 6pm both days.

BVA@home online course presented online via Zoom

The BVA is delighted to present this practical weekend that looks at the neuroscience for working with voice. A top-down, multidisciplinary approach to vocal pedagogy and voice rehabilitation.

Speakers

Dr Boris Kleber (Keynote Saturday)
Psychologist and Assistant Professor at Center for Music In the Brain, Aarhus University (Denmark)
Nicola Wydenbach
Director of Sing To Beat Parkinson’s, Soprano, Musical Director and Vocal Coach
Dr Michel Belyk
Post Doctoral Researcher, UCL
Dr Maryna Kryshtopava
ENT-Specialist, Surgical Oncologist and Assistant Professor. Head of Otorhinolaryngology dep. Vitebsk State Medical University, Belarus
Charlotte Davies
Education and Tomatis Consultant, Director of Fit-2-Learn
Heidi Moss (Keynote Sunday)
Professor of Vocal Physiology, San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Download a copy of this event's poster

programme

Saturday 19th September 2020

3:00–3:45pm
Dr Boris Kleber (Keynote)
Voice Neurophysiology & MRI imaging

3:45–4:00pm
Q&A

4:00–4:15pm
Break

4:15–4:45pm
Nicola Wydenbach
Sing to Beat Parkinson's
Nicola will talk about why singing is important for people living with Parkinson's and how Sing to Beat Parkinson's is working to enable as many people living with Parkinson's to have the opportunity to sing locally.

4:45–5:00pm
Q&A

5:00–5:15pm
Break

5:15–5:45pm
Dr Michel Belyk
Evolutionary Neuroscience of Voice Motor Control
This presentation will describe human brain imaging research that has explored how the neural control of the larynx contributes to key abilities such as the vocal imitation, and how it may go awry in disorders of speech such as persistent developmental stuttering.

5:45–6:00pm
Q&A

Sunday 20th September 2020

3:00–3:30pm
Dr Maryna Kryshtopava
How the brain controls the voice in people with Muscle Tension Dysphonia: fMRI studies. Brain reboot

3:30–3:45pm
Q&A

3:45–4.00pm
Break

4:00–4:30pm
Charlotte Davies
The relationship between sound processing and the voice

What is sound processing?
How do we process sound and how is that connected to speech production?
Assessing sound processing
Strategies to change sound and voice production

4:30–4:45pm
Q&A

4:45–5:00pm
Break

5:00–5:50pm
Heidi Moss (Keynote)
Singing training for the tonally compromised
A practical exploration of capitalising on neuroplasticity and alternative modalities for pitch-matching.

The idea that ‘everyone can sing’ has been challenged by teachers who struggle with students that cannot easily match pitch. In truth, only a small percentage of the population (<4% Peretz 2003) are neurologically incapable of facile pitch perception. In addition, there are musicians who suffer from hearing loss and subsequent cochlear implantation that compromises their ability to process the music they once enjoyed. This talk will explore alternative protocols for pitch matching that utilise areas outside of traditional methods to imprint pitch recognition. These elements have been shown to gradually lock-in pitch matching in ways that can bring the joy of singing to these individuals. We will test some of the more immediate feedback elements in a master class format.

5:50–6:00pm
Q&A

Download a copy of this event's programme